Why do astronomers frequently use Carbon Monoxide (CO) to map molecular clouds?
Answer
Molecular hydrogen (H2) is difficult to detect directly via infrared or radio waves.
Astronomers rely on Carbon Monoxide (CO) as a tracer because the primary constituent of these frigid environments, molecular hydrogen ($ ext{H}_2$), is extremely difficult to observe directly using standard infrared or radio detection methods. Although $ ext{H}_2$ is the most abundant molecule, $ ext{CO}$, being the second most abundant, provides a detectable proxy. Its spectral signatures allow researchers to map out the distribution and density of the otherwise invisible molecular clouds, which are crucial raw materials for star formation.
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